Cuba Opens Its Skies To Local Drone Enthusiasts
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – After being closed off from much of the world, especially the United States, Cuba is slowly opening up its skies to drones.
At the filming of a music video in Havana, a crew got a little help from above.
The government isn't a fan of flying cameras and tells tourists and visiting journalists not to bring drones to the island.
But for the first time, a group of Cuban techies got government permission to fly drones throughout the island country.
The results have been breathtaking.
Freddy Landa Valdez said everyone's first reaction is always "wow."
It's not surprising, since from the air Cuba can be breathtaking – and contradictory.
Drones captured 1950s cars driving down the Havana seafront, residents of Old Havana watching life go by from their apartment balconies and the tile rooftops of a small colonial town in the countryside.
Cuban drone builders used parts from China, even homemade parts for their first drones.
Alejandro Perez de la Cruz said he experimented with different types of propellers and motors and it took him years.
Years of research now paying off as clients line up to have them film events.
Their aerial photos open the world's eyes to a land until recently forbidden to American visitors.
Cuba's drone operators say they want to organize an exhibition of aerial photography to be shown in other countries so more people can see a drone's eye view of the island.
